…a boomer muses about life, change, joys, sorrows and freedom from the prison of corporate life.

Five Good Things #3

Lately I’ve felt my spirits starting to slip a little for any number of reasons, so I thought it would be a good time for another installment of “good things.” My first two installments were “10 Good Things,” but I’ve decided to reduce it to five, so as to not overwhelm the writer or the reader. That would be you. After all, five things are plenty to sink in and give you something to ponder.

(1) Fireflies. What says summer more than they do? They have been out in full force around my house lately and they really take me back to simpler times in my life. I remember how my little gang and I used to wait until dark and then run around the neighborhood, clutching Mason jars and vying to see who could catch the most. At the time, it was just the most fun! Ah, good times.

(2) A package in the mail. I’m one of those people who actually enjoy getting the mail, bills and all. But, when I open up the box and see a package inside, I get a little surge of joy. I mean, even when you’re expecting something you have ordered, it’s nice to actually receive it. It’s like a little present to yourself. And, if it’s something you’re not expecting, well, that’s even better.

(3) Organ Donors. They are often the forgotten heroes. Last Thursday was the first episode of “Boston Med,” a documentary of actual doctors and hospitals filmed in real-time. One of the story lines was about two people waiting for a lung transplant when a healthy lung becomes available. As they interviewed the people waiting and their families, it made me so aware of what a gift it is for someone to think ahead and make their organs available. It is a really good thing.

(4) Bacon. For me, there is no aroma more welcoming than that of bacon cooking. And not just any bacon. I have found the perfect bacon. It is Oscar Mayer Louis Rich Turkey Bacon. I know, I know, you wouldn’t think turkey bacon would taste real and I’ve found that other brands don’t. But this stuff is heaven! You put two pieces on a plate folded between a paper towel, microwave them two minutes and then remove them. And you have two perfectly cooked pieces of bacon with no greaseand they taste wonderful!And here’s the best part. A piece of this is 35 calories, 2.8 gms of fat. One piece of regular bacon is 120 calories! Think of that next time you want to chow down on a great BLT!

(5) Sunrises. Every morning I step out on my balcony in the dark and watch the sun rise on the horizon. And every morning I’m in awe of God’s handiwork. What better time to say my prayers?

And I can’t think of a better way to end this post.

Got some good things of your own to share? Jump right in! The comments are all yours.

Nicole – That’s a good one! I’ve been particularly in love with blueberries lately. I’ve eaten so many that I’m surprised my lips aren’t permanently stained blue! But these summer ones taste SO MUCH BETTER than the winter ones!

I agree with the other four, but thank you especially for number 3… It truly is a good thing, and an amazing gift. Can you imagine someone “thinking ahead” and making that decision, and telling their family their wishes? It’s not a difficult thing to do, but it becomes a heroic committment.

If you can imagine someone “thinking ahead” – you might imagine that painfull moment when their family is faced with a decision, and chooses to honor their loved one’s wishes… And someone’s heart is beating steadily for the first time in decades. Someone, perhaps two people, are breathing better than they have in years – maybe in forever! Someone is seeing the face of a spouse that has only been a distant memory, or maybe the face of a grandchild they’ve never seen. Two people are freed from the torture of dialysis, and maybe one of them is no longer diabetic. Someone is waking from a coma with a new liver, and hugging a family who was worried they may never be hugged again…

Those are just some of the things organ donation does. I know, because I am breathing like I never, ever breathed… I struggled with cystic fibrosis for almost 40 years. I’m breathing now because of a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Iowa named Kari, who told her family in the month before she passed how strongly she felt about organ donation. I think of her throughout the day, every day. I can see her smile when I close my eyes…

And I don’t know what influenced her to feel the way she felt. From all I’ve learned about her, I do know it would have been a very natural desire of hers to help others. But I also imagine it could have been stumbling across a beautiful, little post about “good things” and making a little mental note that, “yes, I want to do that when I leave this beautiful planet…”

So maybe one of my “good things” would be posts or thoughts that others commit to writing that make me smile, or feel good, or consider doing something good for others… Your post did that.

Steve,
What a wonderful story yours is and I thank you for sharing it. I don’t know if any of my organs will be worth much when I’m through with them, but you’ve inspired me to finally summon up the courage to sign the back of my driver’s license. If I could do for someone what Kari did for you, it would be a beautiful legacy. And thank you for the kind words about my post – they meant the world to me.

I whole-heartedly agree with your list, but I gotta tell ya, NZers love their bacon, but the ‘bacon’ here in NZ is really a shoulder cut of ham–that I love more than American bacon (here it’s called ‘streaky’ bacon).